| Rank | Event | Year | Location | Result |
| Olympic Games | ||||
| 1 | 50m Freestyle | 2008 | Beijing, CHN | 21.30 |
| 3 | 100m Freestyle | 2008 | Beijing, CHN | 47.67 |
| Heats | 4 x 100m Freestyle Relay | 2008 | Beijing, CHN | DSQ |
| World Championships | ||||
| 1 | 50m Freestyle | 2011 | Shanghai, CHN | 21.52 |
| 1 | 50m Butterfly | 2011 | Shanghai, CHN | 23.10 |
| 1 | 50m Freestyle | 2009 | Rome, ITA | 21.08 |
| 1 | 100m Freestyle | 2009 | Rome, ITA | 46.91 |
| 4 | 100m Freestyle | 2011 | Shanghai, CHN | 48.01 |
| 4 | 4 x 100m Freestyle Relay | 2009 | Rome, ITA | 3:10.80 |
| 4 | 4 x 100m Medley Relay | 2009 | Rome, ITA | 3:29.16 |
| Pan American Games | ||||
| 1 | 50m Freestyle | 2011 | Guadalajara, MEX | 21.58 |
| 1 | 100m Freestyle | 2011 | Guadalajara, MEX | 47.84 |
| 1 | 4 x 100m Freestyle Relay | 2011 | Guadalajara, MEX | 3:14.65 |
| 1 | 4 x 100m Medley Relay | 2011 | Guadalajara, MEX | 3:34.58 |
| Pan Pacific Championships | ||||
| 1 | 50m Butterfly | 2010 | Irvine, CA, USA | 23.03 |
| 2 | 50m Freestyle | 2010 | Irvine, CA, USA | 21.57 |
| 3 | 100m Freestyle | 2010 | Irvine, CA, USA | 48.48 |
| 4 | 4 x 100m Medley Relay | 2010 | Irvine, CA, USA | 3:36.86 |
| World Championships Short Course | ||||
| 1 | 50m Freestyle | 2010 | Dubai, UAE | 20.51 |
| 1 | 100m Freestyle | 2010 | Dubai, UAE | 45.74 |
| 3 | 4 x 100m Freestyle Relay | 2010 | Dubai, UAE | 3:05.74 |
| 3 | 4 x 100m Medley Relay | 2010 | Dubai, UAE | 3:23.12 |
Nickname
Cesa. (cesarcielo.com.br, 30 Nov 2010)
Hobbies
Resting, playing video games, hanging out with friends. (FINA Aquatics World Magazine, Mar 2010)
Education
International Business, Language Studies - Spanish - Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA
Club name
Clube de Regatas Flamengo, Brazil
Coach
Alberto Pinto (FINA Aquatics World Magazine, 25 Sep 2011)
Position and style
Freestyle (cesarcielo.com.br, 30 Nov 2010)
Sporting relatives
He practiced judo at a young age but gave it up because he wasn't winning. He took up water polo in primary school but swam better than he played. (cesarcielo.com.br, 30 Nov 2010)
Additional information
Start of sporting career
He started to swim at an early age at the Sports Club Barbarense in Santa Barbara d'Oeste. (cesarcielo.com.br, 30 Nov 2010)
Reason for taking up this sport
His father suggested he learn to swim on a family trip to the beach. He joined the Barbarense Sports Club and discovered his passion. He had his first win age 8 which inspired him to keep going. His mother, a Physical Education specialist presented him to Alberto Silva, coach of Olympian Gustavo Borges, who she had had a course with in Campinas age 15. (cesarcielo.com.br, 30 Nov 2010)
Ambitions
To hear the Brazilian anthem at every meet he goes to. (scaq.blogspot.com, 10 Mar 2010)
Training
He swims an average of 35km over 6 days per week. Around 30% of his training is related to race speed. He works out in the weight room 3 times a week and also does some plyometric training which he says he is not very good at. (scaq.blogspot.com, 10 Mar 2010)
Hero
Swimmers Gustavo Borges, Fernando Scherer and Alexander Popov, his parents and Roger Federer. (cesarcielo.com.br, 30 Nov 2010; FINA Aquatics World Magazine, 07 Dec 2010)
Superstitions / Rituals
Before competition he likes to listen to the theme song from the series The Contender. He slaps his arms, legs and chest to "awaken the body". (cesarcielo.com.br, 30 Nov 2010)
Sporting philosophy / motto
"I just want to be the best swimmer I can be. I want to step up to the blocks, feel confident and feel in shape."(gulfnews.com, 30 Nov 2010)
Awards
He was Brazil's Athlete of the Year in 2008 and 2009. (FINA Aquatics World Magazine, 01 Mar 2010)
He was NCAA Swimmer of the Year in 2007 and has been All-American 12 times. He is a six-time NCAA champion and 11 time SEC champion. (auburntigers.cstv.com, 30 Nov 2010)
Named 2006 Brazilian Swimmer of the Year by the Brazilian TV Channel, TV Globo. (timedfinals.com, 31 Dec 2006)
General
DIURETIC WARNING
In May 2011 he tested positive for the diuretic furosemide, which is banned as a masking agent. He claimed his usual supplements had been contaminated and he received a warning from the Brazilian swimming federation. FINA appealed the decision to give him a warning to the Court of Arbitration for Sport [CAS] in the hope of imposing a three-month ban. However, CAS upheld the Brazilian swimming federation's decision on the grounds that a pharmacy had mistakenly contaminated his caffeine supplements. Cielo was therefore able to compete at the 2011 World Championships in Shanghai, although some competitors raised concerns about his ability to compete. Kenyan swimmer Jason Dunford made a 'thumbs down' gesture after Cielo won the 50m butterfly. "You can call me a sore loser but that wasn't the point of my action. I don't mind losing to people. I'm just a bit disgruntled with the system that two months after a positive test he's competing against us," Dunford said. (FINA Aquatics World Magazine, 25 Sep 2011; espn.go.com, 29 Jul 2011)
TEAM
He had been training periodically with Auburn University in the US and Pines Swim Club in Brazil. In early 2010 he switched from Pines swimming club to the Flamengo Club in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (cesarcielo.com.br, 30 Nov 2010)
PROHIBITION
In the first year of college he signed a contract prohibiting athletes from many social activities including having a girlfriend and drinking alcohol. (cesarcielo.com.br, 30 Nov 2010)
Previous Olympics
Beijing 2008
